Canberra racing driver Cameron Hill has been presented with a chance to race on foreign soil, and will compete in this weekend’s opening round of the New Zealand Toyota 86 Racing Championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway.

Hill will race a car organised by category manager Geoff Short, and will be supported by his regular sponsors Southern Star Truck Centre, National Capital Toyota and Anytime Fitness.It will be the first time the 20-year-old has raced outside Australia since his go-karting days, and Hill is excited about learning a new track.

“I haven’t raced overseas in a car before, but I’ve always watched the Pukekohe Supercars races on TV and wanted to experience the circuit,” Hill said.

“When the opportunity came up to race in this weekend’s event, I grabbed it with both hands – any chance to race on a new circuit is valuable so a big thank you to Geoff for giving me the drive this weekend.

Despite his crushing form in the Australian Toyota 86 Racing Series – highlighted by five race victories and a perfect record of four pole positions from four rounds – Hill is keeping his expectations in check ahead of this weekend.

“I will be racing against local drivers who already have experience at Pukekohe, and I only have one practice session to learn the track and then it’s straight into qualifying and racing,” Hill said.

“Also, the New Zealand Toyota 86 race cars have some subtle differences compared to the Australian versions, especially with brakes and tyres, so I will need to get my head around the best driving technique.

“One of the best things this weekend is there’s no championship situation to think about – I can just focus on doing the best job I can in each individual race.”

The New Zealand Toyota 86 Championship round consists of practice and qualifying on Friday, two races on Saturday and one race on Sunday.